Ludogorets v Real Madrid background

PFC Ludogorets Razgrad play their first home game in the UEFA Champions League on matchday two when the holders Real Madrid CF visit Sofia.

Match background

Ludogorets
• Georgi Dermendzhiev's Bulgarian title holders made a promising start in the competition at Liverpool FC, losing only to an injury-time penalty in a 2-1 defeat.

• In qualifying for the group stage, Ludogorets played three home games, beating F91 Dudelange (4-0), holding FK Partizan (0-0), and then defeating FC Steaua Bucureşti 1-0 prior to a 6-5 penalty shoot-out success.

• They went four games unbeaten at home in last season's UEFA Europa League before succumbing 3-0 to Valencia CF in the first leg of an eventual 4-0 round of 16 defeat. It was their first meeting with Spanish opposition.

• As they did last season, Ludogorets are playing their European home games 400 kilometres from Razgrad at the Natsionalen Stadion Vasil Levski in Sofia as their own Ludogorets Arena does not meet UEFA's requirements.

Real Madrid
• Madrid began their Group B campaign with a 5-1 home victory against FC Basel 1893.

• They scored 20 goals in six away games in last season's competition, winning four and losing just one – at Borussia Dortmund in the quarter-finals (0-2).

• Madrid won two of last term's away matches by a club-record 6-1 scoreline – at Galatasaray AŞ in the group stage and FC Schalke 04 in the round of 16 first leg. With that latter victory they became the first away team to hit six in the UEFA Champions League knockout rounds.

• Madrid won 1-0 at PFC Levski Sofia on their only previous trip to Bulgaria in the first round of the 1979/80 European Champion Clubs' Cup. That first-leg victory set up a 3-0 overall success.

Coach and player links
• As Juventus coach, Carlo Ancelotti oversaw a 3-1 win at Levski in the 1999/2000 UEFA Cup second round (aggregate 4-2).

• He was a player in the AS Roma side who earned a 1-0 win over PFC CSKA Sofia at the Vasil Levski (2-0 agg) in the 1983/84 European Cup second round. Ancelotti also helped AC Milan to a 5-2 home victory over Levski in the 1988/89 European Cup first round.

• Gareth Bale hit the only goal when Wales beat a Bulgaria team including Georgi Terziev in a UEFA EURO 2012 qualifier at the Vasil Levski in October 2011.

• Brayan Angulo lost home (0-1) and away (0-2) Liga matches against Madrid with Granada CF last season. He has also played in Spain for Rayo Vallecano de Madrid and CD Atlético Baleares

• Luka Modrić was in a Croatia Under-21 side beaten 2-1 by Bulgaria in June 2005 at the Bulgarska Armia stadium, just 300 metres from the Vasil Levski.

• Spaniard Dani Abalo was a RC Celta de Vigo player from 2006–13, with a spell on loan at CF Gimnástic de Tarragona in 2011/2012.

Match facts

Ludogorets

• Goalkeeper Vladislav Stoyanov is available after serving a one-game ban on matchday one. With understudy Ivan Čvorović ruled out with a shoulder injury, Ludogorets signed Canada keeper Milan Borjan two days before the Liverpool game. The 26-year-old made his debut at Anfield.

• Júnior Caiçara was sent off before half-time with Ludogorets trailing 3-1 at PFC Levski Sofia on Saturday. Wanderson did pull one back but could not prevent a defeat that allowed their opponents to leapfrog them in the standings.

• Ludogorets have won only nine of their 19 games in all competitions this campaign.

• Marcelinho opened the scoring in Ludogorets's 4-1 home victory against PFC Litex Lovech on 21 September, moving him level with Ivan Stoyanov's club record of 25 top-flight goals.

• Ludogorets began their defence of the Bulgarian Cup with a 5-1 first round triumph at POFC Botev Vratsa three days later, Júnior Quixadá on target twice.

• The Bulgarian outfit parted company with coach Stoicho Stoev after the first leg of their third qualifying round tie against FK Partizan, replacing him with the club's academy director, Georgi Dermendzhiev.

Madrid

• Luka Modrić scored his first goal of the season as Madrid won 2-0 at Villarreal CF on Saturday.

• Cristiano Ronaldo has scored in each of his last six matches, ten goals in all. His goal on matchday one was his 68th in the UEFA Champions League, three behind record holder Raúl González.

• Karim Benzema's strike on matchday one was Madrid's 1,000th goal in UEFA competition. Miguel Muñoz got the first in September 1955.

• Keylor Navas made his debut for Carlo Ancelotti's side in the 5-1 home win against Elche CF on 23 September, a match in which Ronaldo scored four times.

• Ronaldo's four-goal haul was the third of his Madrid career. He has registered hat-tricks in 22 other games, most recently an 8-2 success at RC Deportivo La Coruña on 20 September.

• The Portugal captain has found the net in his last 13 home appearances, a club record.

• Gareth Bale equalised against Elche with Madrid's 3,000th Liga goal at the Santiago Bernabéu.

• Ronaldo (187 goals) is third on the club's all-time Liga scoring list behind Alfredo Di Stéfano (216) and Raúl González (228).

• The European champions have struck 20 goals in their last four matches with Ronaldo providing eight.